Viktor Tingstrom Stuns Defending Champion Bunting As Humphries Shines In Copenhagen
Viktor Tingstrom Stuns Defending Champion Bunting As Humphries Shines In Copenhagen
Viktor Tingstrom produced the shock of the opening night at the 2026 Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters, while Luke Humphries delivered a darting masterclass to headline Friday’s action in Copenhagen.
The year’s third World Series of Darts event saw eight PDC stars take on their Nordic & Baltic counterparts at Forum Copenhagen, with Swedish star Tingstrom stealing the headlines.
The 25-year-old survived seven match darts to stun defending champion Stephen Bunting, becoming only the third Nordic & Baltic representative to record a victory at the tournament since its inception in 2021.
“I’ve had some good memories in darts, but I don’t think anything can beat this at the moment,” said Tingstrom.
“To be the third Nordic & Baltic player ever through in this tournament, happy days.
“I just came here trying to enjoy it. I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I don’t have any pressure on me.”
Tingstrom’s reward is a quarter-final showdown against 2021 champion Michael van Gerwen, who opened his campaign with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Poland’s World Cup quarter-finalist Oskar Lukasiak.
However, it was Humphries who produced the performance of the night.
The world number two averaged a superb 109.92 and converted six of his nine attempts at double to defeat an in-form Jeffrey de Graaf in a high-quality contest.
“I felt good there. The last four or five weeks I’ve felt a lot more comfortable in my throw, and I feel like I can play this level a lot more often,” insisted Humphries.
“It just gives you confidence. I’ve had so many ton-plus averages, so many good performances, and my doubles have been better.
“One thing that I’m probably guilty of is not winning many World Series events in my career. I’ve played in about 20 or 30 and won two.
“You know that you normally have to beat three really, really tough players to go on and win the title, but if I keep playing like that then I’m going to stand a good chance.”
Humphries will now face European Champion Gian van Veen, who produced a stunning 167 checkout to complete a 6-3 victory over Denmark’s Daniel Larsson.
The all-Welsh clash between Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price also awaits on Finals Day after both players progressed through contrasting encounters.
Clayton delivered one of the most dominant displays of the evening, averaging 104.86 and landing 75% of his darts at double in a 6-0 whitewash of Andreas Harrysson.
Price, meanwhile, was pushed all the way by Lithuanian star Darius Labanauskas in a dramatic contest featuring six ton-plus checkouts.
The Welshman converted finishes of 120, 128 and 156, but still required a missed match dart from Labanauskas at double 16 in the deciding leg before eventually securing a hard-fought 6-5 victory.
Elsewhere, James Wade marked his first World Series appearance since 2022 with a clinical 6-1 success over Latvia’s Madars Razma.
The ten-time televised title winner now faces World Champion Luke Littler, who produced a similarly convincing 6-1 win against Norway’s number one Cor Dekker.
Littler, bidding to claim his first Nordic Darts Masters title, landed a stylish 129 checkout during another assured display in the Danish capital.
The Nordic Darts Masters concludes on Saturday evening, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final set to take place in a blockbuster Finals Day session at Forum Copenhagen.
Viktor Tingstrom Stuns Defending Champion Bunting As Humphries Shines In Copenhagen
2026 Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters
Friday June 5
Round One
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Andreas Harrysson
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Viktor Tingstrom 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Oskar Lukasiak
James Wade 6-1 Madars Razma
Luke Littler 6-1 Cor Dekker
Luke Humphries 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Gian van Veen 6-3 Daniel Larsson
Saturday June 6 (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Viktor Tingstrom
Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton
Luke Littler v James Wade
Gian van Veen v Luke Humphries
Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals
Van Gerwen/Tingstrom v Price/Clayton
Littler/Wade v Van Veen/Humphries
Best of 13 legs
Final
Best of 15 legs
